THE PLACE AND PURPOSE OF THE BIG 10 TODAY

THE PLACE AND PURPOSE OF THE BIG 10 TODAY

Monday, February 3, 2020



Galatians [ESV] chapter 5 … you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” [Mt.22:34-40] But if you bite and devour one another, watch out that you are not consumed by one another. But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. [Rom. Chap. 7; 2Cor.3:7-10]



  Friday’s DT question was “Are the Ten Commandments our source of morality?”

  The place of the 10 Commandments is in and under the old blood covenant. As John 3:3 born-again John 1:12 sons and daughters of God’s family the 10 Commandments, nor any of the other 603 Old Testament laws have any place or purpose for us. The Commandments were prior to the new blood covenant. They are not our source of morality. For the followers of Christ the reliance break from the Old to the New is definite and absolute. Andrew Farley* correctly explains “So, it’s not Jesus plus Moses. It’s not Jesus plus tablets of stone. For the [New Testament] believer, it’s Jesus plus nothing, 100% natural, no additives!”

  Authentic godliness does not come from Old testament Law! For New testament believers, godly behavior comes from our submission to the incredible gift of the Holy Spirit living within.

  Ahh, but does the Ten Commandments have a purpose in this day and age? Yes, indeed they do, for how else might the need for the Redeemer be defined? Wonderfully, the New Testament is loaded with teaching on the attitudes and actions that God’s Holy Spirit is working in us: “Is the law then against the promises of God? God forbid: for if there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the law. But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe. But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed. Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster. For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.“ (Gal.3:21-26)

EBB4